The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for making lightweight recyclable load-supporting pallets, including uniquely wound pallet supporting members and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for making such pallets from paper sheet material.
Pallets used to support loads of material for storage and transport are well known in the art and are made in many shapes from a wide variety of materials. Industrial pallets typically include a planar upper load-supporting layer and a number of foot-like supports attached to the underside of the layer to provide space for the insertion of a lifting mechanism, such as the fork of a forklift truck. Pallets are also often made with two planar layers separated and interconnected by the foot-like spacers or supports. Pallets have been made with a variety of materials, including metal, wood, plastic, fiberboard and paperboard, as well as combinations or composites of such materials.
Although wooden pallets are probably the most commonly used in most commercial and industrial applications, wooden pallets are still relatively expensive and, when the supported load is strapped to and shipped with the pallet, the pallet is lost. For many years the search for a replacement for conventional wooden pallets has led to the development of a wide variety of paper and paperboard pallets. Pallets made of paper or paperboard are generally considered to be much less costly to manufacture, more easily disposed of when damaged or destroyed, and potentially even recyclable. However, the inherent lower strength and durability of paper and paperboard, as compared to wood, has to date prevented the development of a fully functional, lightweight recyclable paper pallet.
Prior art paper and paperboard pallets are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. which are representative of the state of the art: U.S. Pat. No. 2,388,730; 2,493,562; and, 2,691,499.
It would also be desirable to have a disposable or recyclable pallet manufacturing operation which could be operated on-site and integrated directly into the material handling system for the products being loaded on and strapped to pallets for storage or shipment.